Dean Etheridge
The Houston Cougars meet the Miami Hurricanes for a place in the Elite Eight this Friday evening. The Cougars are one of the betting favorites to win the end of season tournament and they will be hoping to live up to their No.1 seeding when they face the Hurricanes in Kansas City. Who will win this Sweet 16 clash and proceed to the Elite Eight? Let’s get the answer from our free NCAAB betting picks.
- What; NCAA Tournament, Men’s Basketball, March Madness – Sweet 16
- Who; Houston Cougars (1) vs Miami Hurricanes (5)
- Where; T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- When; Friday, March 24th, 2023
- Tip Off; 6.15 pm ET
For a long time this season the Houston Cougars were the betting favorites to win the end of season NCAA Tournament. That has now changed with the Alabama Crimson Tide taking over at the top in the latest odds. The best college basketball betting sites now see Nate Oats’ team as their favorites.
The odds on the Crimson Tide have been getting shorter all week, while Houston’s odds have been drifting. At the start of the week, Alabama was +350, and Houston was +400. Now Alabama is +300, and Houston is +425. The punters seem to be throwing their weight behind the Cougars’ fellow No.1 seeds.
Elsewhere in the betting to win the competition, the Texas Longhorns are third at +750. The Longhorns are followed by UCLA at +850, and Connecticut at +900. Then there is Creighton at +1000, and both Gonzaga and Tennessee at +1200. These sides make up the eight teams given the best chance to win the NCAA Tournament.
Following these teams there is a huge gap in the betting before we get to the remaining eight outsiders. And at odds of +5000, Miami are one of those teams.
Houston vs Miami Betting Odds
In the match betting odds for this Sweet 16 clash, the Cougars are overwhelming favorites. On the moneyline, top rated March Madness betting sites like BetOnline make Houston -310 to win. They also go +260 on a win for Miami.
And the gulf in class is recognised on the handicap spread, where the Hurricanes are receiving a +7 start. With the handicap in place, Miami (+7) are -110, and Houston (-7) are also -110. The total points spread is set at 138. Over and under are both priced up at -110.
Below we have more odds on the match from the best college basketball betting sites. More information on these sites can be found on our US sportsbooks reviews page.
| Houston vs Miami; 2023 Sweet 16 |  |  |  |
| Miami Florida | +260 | +260 | +260 |
| Houston | -310 | -310 | -310 |
| Miami Florida (+7) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Houston (-7) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
One loss in 16 for in-form Houston
Houston topped the AAC with a 17-1 conference record. Overall this season, they are 33-3, and at the moment, they are on a winning streak of two (the two March Madness wins).
Their only recent defeat was a 10-point loss to the Memphis Tigers in the final match of the end of season AAC Tournament. On that day, Houston were blown away by a rampant first half display by the Tigers which saw them race into a 46-31 lead. There was a second half fightback from Houston. But they lost 75-65 in the end.
That loss brought to an end a 13-match winning streak for Houston. Since the defeat, Houston defeated Northern KY 63-52 in the First Round of March Madness. They followed that up with an even better 81-64 win over Auburn in the Second Round.
(1) HOUSTON MOVES ON 💪
The Cougars down (9) Auburn 81-64 and are headed to the Sweet 16! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/PxoFsxIMNd
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2023
Miami on a charge of their own
The Miami Hurricanes come into the Sweet 16 on a winning streak of two. The two wins have come in March Madness. They were over Drake (63-56) in the First Round, and over No.4 seed Indiana (85-69) in Round 2.
(5) MIAMI IS GOING TO THE SWEET 16 👏
The Canes down (4) Indiana 85-69 to keep dancing! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/miids87qn4
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2023
They topped the Atlantic Coast with a 15-5 conference record, and overall this season they are 27-7. Their last defeat was an 85-78 loss to Duke in the final match of the ACC Tournament. In recent weeks, Miami has won 11 of their last 13 matches.
Our Sweet 16 Pick
Houston is seeded No.1, and Miami is No.5. Both sides come into the match in good form, and neither side will give any ground with a place in the Elite Eight awaiting the winner.
Miami has shot 50 percent or better 15 times this season. In their March Madness First Round win over Duke, this was down at 30.4. In the Second Round it was back up at 48.6 against Indiana. On the flip side, only twice this season has anyone shot 50 percent or better against Houston.
Just a couple of stats, maybe! But they give an indication of where these two teams are at.
We think Texas will win the Midwest Region, so we therefore believe Houston will lose at some point. Is it going to be at the Sweet 16 stage? Maybe. But either way, we think this match could be closer than the moneyline suggests.
And if Miami can repeat the form that saw them dump out Indiana in the last round, they are worth backing on the handicap line.
